Vapor electric device.



P. W. LYLE.

VAPOR ELECTRIC DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 00111, 1911 1,09 1,680 Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I/IZ'TAJESSESJ ZZVVENTUR I5 TTUHNE'Y;

P, W. LYLE.

VAPOR ELECTRIC DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 00111, 1911.

2 BHEBTSS'HEET 2.

Patented 111211131, 1914.

WiTED 1 PAM OFFIGE.

FRED W, LYLE, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRI COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VA?OR ELECTRIC DEVICE.

nooncso.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

application filed October 11, 1911. Serial No. 854,007.

In some cases vfqn mercury vapor del vices. which are ar uugcd-l'o start by tilting, are restarted i icdiately after an interruption of the arc the contact of the relatively cool nicrcur with the heated glass will cause ci'a ing a d put the lamp out oi ser ice. This i particularly true of devices which are op ted at a high temperature. For example r. *rcur amps in which the arc is operated 1 an i' uir quartz envelop, which becomes h l l'l'u ted, and thus heals the outer glass ovclop in its vicinity, c6ntact between the i ated glass and the cooler mercury remote .irom the quartz envelop is apt to result in cracking. In accordance with my invention this difficulty is obviated by providing means for delaying the restarting of the mercury lamp, or other vapor electric device, after an interruption of service. This delay which need only be of a few seconds duration allows the i1. ice to cool down sufficiently to avoid cracking of the glass.

In the accompanylng drawings, Flgurcs 1 to *1 inclusive illustrate diagrammatically various arrangements for delaying the restarting of the vapor electric devices.

The particular form of mercury vapor lamp 1 shown in Fig. 1' is-illustrative only. My invention is not limited in application to this type of lamp. The lamp is provided with an unsealed inner quartz tube 2 in which an arc plays. The lamp is supported by a pivoted framework 3 which is suitably attached to the solenoid of the tilting magnot 4. The electrodes of the lamp are connected across conductors 5, 6 in the usual manner. The tilting magnet 4 is connected in shunt with the lamp and in series with a resistance 7. In snunt with the magnet 1 is a mercury thermostat 8, somewhat like a thermometer, the circuit being completed by conductors 9, 10 sealed in the ends of the tubes. The thermostat is surrounded by a heater 11 which is included in circuit with conductor 6 in series with the lamp.

When a suitable current is impressed across condiu-tors 5, (5, the shunt magnet 4 will draw up its armature and start the lamp by tilting in the well understood manner. The flow of current through the lamp deenergizes the tilting magnet. and allows the lamp to descend and operate in a normal 1 .tion. The current passing through the itcr 11 causes the mercury to expand and iplcte the contact between wires 9 andlO. '1 his contact short circuits the tilting magnet 4 when the heater and therefore also the lamp is at normal operating teiupcrature. shortircuitiug action iiu'ridcntally prevents the magnet 4- t'rom drawing up its armature a second time when the voltage across the mercury arc in the lamp rises during operation as is the case in a device of this particular kind. The chief function of this short-circuiting action however is to prevent the magnet 4, from restarting the lamp immediately if it should be extinguished for any reason during its normal period of operation. The magnet 4: cannot receive sulficicnt current to draw up its armature until the thermostat S has cooled off sufficiently to permit the contact'between wires 9 and 10 to be broken by the contraction of the mercury column. This interval of time which may be adjusted to only of few seconds duration if desired permits the glass in the vicinity of the heated quartz tube 2 to cool sufficiently to avoid cracking when the relatively cool mercury flows over its surface during the starting of the lamp.

Instead of employing a mercury thermostat, any other of the well known forms of thermostats may be used. Fig. 2 illustrates a thermostat 12 consisting of two strips of metal of unequal coefficient of expansion, such as zinc and iron. The device shown in Fig. 2 is otherwise the same as that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a magnetic cutout 13 which The operates to open a circuitor shunt magnet pressed across conductors 5, 6 the lamp is started inthe manner already described in F1g.-1 by the pull of shunt Winding 14:.

When current passes through the lamp,

series Winding15 is energized and opposes the magnetic pull of winding 14 and thus returns and holds the lamp in its normal position. The Winding 15 is in series with the heater 11 which causes the short-circuiting of shunt Winding l t-by the extension of the mercury column as already described. In case of an interruption of current flow through the lamp, the shunt Winding cannot tilt the lamp to restart the same until the short circuit around magnet It is broken by the cooling of the thermostat. 'Various other arrangements for introducing the desired delay in the restarting of a vapor-device will suggest themselves, in the light of the modifications herein described.-' \Vhat-I claim as new and desire to secure Letters Patent of the United States, is, a 1. The combination of a vapor electric device having a liquid vaporizable cathode, means for til said device to start the same and a the tilting means inoperative'while the tem- -perature of said thermal device exceeds a predetermined limit.

2. The combination t a vapor electric de vice having a vapori? le metal cathode, an inclosing envelop sub ect to injury by sudden change of temperatures, means for tilt ing said device to start the same, and means for rendering said starting device inopercrmal device for rendering ative for a predetermined interval after cessation of operation to permit cooling of said envelop.

3. The combination of a vapor electric device, means for supplying energy thereto, means for tilting said device to start the same, and means for delaying the restarting of said device when the arc is interrupted after a period of operation.

4. The combination of a vapor electric apparatus, means for supplying current thereto, an electromagnetic device for tilting said device to start the same, connected'in shunt to said electromagnetic device and adapted to short circuit said device While the temperature of the thermostat exceeds a predetermined value, to secure a time lag in the restarting of the apparatus.

5. The combination of a mercury arc lamp, a magnetic device having opposed windings, one being in shunt and the other in series therewith, the shunt Winding acting to tilt said lamp, and a thermal device in series with thelamp for short circuiting the hunt WlIldlR said device havin a redetermined time lag.

6. The combination of a mercury vapor arc lamp, having an open quartz envelop surrounded by an outer-glass envelop subject to cracking, means for tilting said lamp to startthe same and means for delaying restarting of said lamp for a predetermined period of time after an interruption of its operation to permit cooling.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth davof October, 1911.. U FRED W. LYLE.

Witnesses Jenn A. MoMANUs, J12, FRANK G. Hanna.

and a thermostat 

